


Romantic pursuit

by CoughinCoffee



Category: Safe - Fandom, SamxRafe, Uncharted, Uncharted 4 - Fandom
Genre: M/M, Valentine - Freeform, safe valentine
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-02-14
Updated: 2018-02-14
Packaged: 2019-03-22 19:26:07
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,978
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13770912
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CoughinCoffee/pseuds/CoughinCoffee
Summary: Bit'o background!So, in this au verse, Rafe gained his senses back at the ship becuase Sam had reached some epiphany that he himself had been obsessed with the treasure too, so then he ended up yelling at Rafe to stop and told him he loved him even if he'd done some horrible shit becuase Sam knew he wasn't any better either. Rafe had basically lost all energy to fight and wanted nothing else but to hold on to Sam.It had been obviously wild and rocky and a lot of fighting, but now, about a year later  (or something, the first ever valentine's since then, anyway) they'd calmed the fuck down and it was getting better every day.Everyone had seen a different side of Rafe thanks to the older Drake.It was like his obsession with the treasure melted slowly away and replaced with getting high on love and a life with Sam.[[ Headcanon to my own fic- Elena was writing a censored version of their story, making a name for all of them and Rafe re-branded his family business to make it his own.]]I haven't decided where they live, but there's no snow and it’s basically summer in February.Becuase I live in Sweden and it's bullshit.Enjoy!





	Romantic pursuit

The sun created a comfortable, safe feeling from the warmth it held. There were a few puffs of wind from time to time, providing a bit of cool-down for the brothers.  
The beer provided quite the nice cool-down as well.

The Drake brothers sat on the porch, at the house of the younger one. Both free of work while their significant other's were not. Perfect quality brother-and-beer time.

They were talking about everything between heaven and earth, laughing at the most silly things and discussed simple things like how the best cheese was made.

"I saw a show last week," Nathan began. "Some dudes put cheese in the most fucked up of places to create unique tastes, like in a foot-locker."  
Sam was leaning back comfortably. He closed his eyes and frowned at the infromation.  
"Christ, That is disgusting!" His chest jumping with the chuckles.  
"I'd rather just lick a shoe, get it over-with."  
"Yeah might as well." Nathan huffed a laugh and sipped the drink.  
"They made something nasty with chocolate too, but, I stopped watching."

Sam laughed again at that. "Yeah, save yourself while you can. Man, I can't watch TV anymore, at all. I don't remembering it being so... stupid."  
It was Nathan's turn to laugh.  
"It's really gone downhill. Elena watches the news and a few other things, I think I'm the bad influence though. I've watched so many stupid things out of pure facination of it.” His face deepened in thought of it.

"Dumb things can coincidentally be interesting too." The older Drake sipped his drink. He chuckled again.  
"Once, about a month ago, I was reading in the chair next to the couch at Rafe's. He sat in the couch- I think he was watching the news at first, but then he zapped around aimlessly and somehow ended up on one of those dramatic, young people-reality shows,"  
Nathan was already smiling amused at that, he knew exactly what kind of show that was. Unfortunately.

Sam chuckled once "-and I looked up wondering what he hell he was watching, and his face had gone from utterly bored to like, this absolutely horrified, confused expression."  
Nathan giggles deeply at the face Sam made to simulate the one Rafe had made. Tight mouth, eyes almost popping out while frowning deeply, looking purely unsatisfied.  
"-Eyes wide as UFO's." He finished laughing at the memory.  
Nathan pat his tummy in laughter. "So he does not endorse the youth of today."  
Sam laughed and shook his head before taking another sip. "He does not, he did not enjoy whatever he was seeing. I just recall someone talking about being the alpha of the house becuase he had the hottest girl, something about how his brain was connected to itself-" Sam frowed even deeper, throwing up his hands shrugging.

"Good lord." The younger one face-palmed gently with his free hand.

The silence settled between them for a bit while they enjoyed just watching whatever was happening in front of them.  
Someone walked past with a dog. Someone rode a bike slowly.  
A few neighbours went about their day, coming out of the house and going inside, getting mail and what not.

A couple walked hand-in-hand, talking and laughing at something they'd just said, then haulting for a second to get in a quick kiss before walking on.  
That reminded Sam of something.

"What's that day again? That lovely-dovey one? With the hearts and cutesy stuff?"  
Nathan was unmoved except for his eyes, now having a turn to look like UFO's."That's Valentine's, Sam?" He asked offended. "How do you forget the name of St. Valentine? What?"

Sam scoffed and threw a hand up.  
"I-? What? My brain froze! It's not like I had any romantic adventures in Panama! I didn't think much of any holiday or traditions after the first... atleast five years." He said it with humor, but it didn't make it all that better. Nathan's face quickly turned very sullen. Talking about Panama was always harder on him than it was on Sam.

The latter dropped his jaw in an attempt to take it back.

"Come'on little brother, stop it with the face, you know it's all good now. Better than good, it's fantastic!" He pushed lightly as Nathan's knee, giving it two firm pats.  
Nathan gave a loopsided smile in return.  
"Yeah. Yeah, you're right." He lifted the beer to sip.

They had talked about it several times already. Sam had finally got it in his brother's head that he wasn't bitter about it. Sure it sucked to get robbed a decade of your life, but he wasn't alone about it. His, now boyfriend, former coworker and at a time, rival, had in a sense wasted just as much time obsessing over the same thing. And in any case, unfair shit like that happaned in this world all the time. It just happaned to be the hand Sam was dealt, and now he had the chanse to not waste any more time. He considered himself lucky.

He also wasn't stupid enough to think that the path him and Nathan had chosen would not have consequenses.  
Rather him than Nathan.

He never said that last part ofcourse.

He watched Nathan sip while thinking. He squinted at him.  
Nathan felt the staring and turned to his older brother with a waiting expression.  
"What?"  
"So, what does one do for their valentine's these modern days? What do you do for Elena?" He leaned back and hauled an ankle up on his other leg.

"Oh, uuuh.." The younger man threw an eye in the distance while inhaling. He made a bubble face from blowing wind in thought.  
"Well... I guess we haven't done much during Valentine's. You know, we haven't exactly had a normal scheduale most of the time, not enough to think about it." He shrugged a little, looking back at Sam.

Sam wore the most unimpressed face in the history of life.  
"You're a lot help aren't ya." He lifted the beer in he air before sipping.  
Nathan chuckled.

"What, I don't exactly suspect Rafe will like the same things as Elena anyway!"  
Sam chuckled at that. They were fairly similar people but maybe to a limit.  
"Yeah, you're right. But any idea is better than nothing right now." He put the beer down to fiddle up a cigeratte and lit it.

"You know it's not required to celebrate Valentine's in any status, single or taken, right?"  
Sam threw him a look and shrugged a shoulder.  
"You know me, Nate. I'm a romantic." He took a drag from the little tobacco stick.  
Nathan snorted. "I guess."

A quiet moment passed.

"Actually, I guess I feel like.. it'd be kind of a perfect way to.." Sam tried his best at finding the correct words.  
".. Uuh." He held his hands in front of him like he tried to put something invisible together.  
Nathan watched him expectedly. Slowly raising his brows when Sam didn't continue.  
"... to.. show him you care?" He provided slowly.  
Sam looked like he was thinking harder.  
"Well obviously but it's like," He did the motion with his hands again. Pausing to take another drag.  
"It's more than that though, it's," He squinted so hard he was basically closing his eyes at this point.  
Nathan had started leaning toward him like he'd understand better if he saw his face closer.

"Connection!" Sam suddenly announced, as if had been obvious all along.  
Nathan all but jumped back in his seat like a shocked puppy.  
"It feels like a perfect opportunity for us to do something nice together in the, you know- romantic mood and," He waved a hand at nothing. "Connect!"  
"Oh! Like, you need to know each other better or?"  
"Yeah," Smoke exited with the words. "Sort of, but more like.. getting in tune with each other again." Sam's eyes shifted to the sides in thought.

He remembered the two years they worked together and he'd never felt more in tune with another person, and couldn't imagiene that it would be possible with anyone else.  
Rafe had this way about him. The way he carried himself, keeping his cool until passion for something took him over. The way he looked at Sam as if he were perfect while knowing very well he wasn't. Just like Sam knew Rafe wasn't perfect, but he was perfect for him. He was brutaly honest, especially when Sam couldn't find the right words, Rafe knew exaclty what he wanted to say.  
It had been hard to know how to gain each other's trust again after the ship, how to go about it and not go insane with questions, but they were doing it.  
More reasons to connect and focus on oneanother was perfect.

"What music does he like?" Nathan asked snapping his brother out of the memories.  
Sam took a breath. "Uh well," He breathed out.  
"He seems to enjoy most genres, but uh, our common ground is around rock, you know, everything from indie rock to classics." He eyed the nicotine stick in thought.  
The shorthaired nodded along with the information. "Hmm.." He licked his teeth under his lip. Then he smacked loudly.  
"Well! I say put on some cheesy songs, maybe some Johnny Cash you like so much and maybe just talk, or play some cards! Something simple!"  
Sam raised his head, surprised at how much he liked that idéa. Then he frowned and squinted at his brother, his head tilted back.  
"You haven't listened much to Johnny Cash, have you?"  
Nathan scoffed and frowned.  
"Pfftt- Fine, Elvis then, whatever sails your ship-" He finished off the beer.  
Sam laughed softly. Johnny was not the most romantic of choices, atleast not if you actually listened to the lyrics.  
"That's actually a good idéa, I mean, I don't know that either of us even have a deck, but.." He finished his own beer. He dragged the smoke to it's finish and put it out in the empty bottle.  
Nathan stood up and provided a hand for the second empty beer bottle, gestured in question for another. Sam held it up for him and nodded in thanks.  
"We have atleast three of them, somewhere." He waved toward the whole house.  
"-or you could just take any boardgame, we have a bunch of'em." He called out while walking insde, satisfied with his own idea.  
Sam's face lit up.  
"Oh! Wait, do you have that one, you know the one we used to play all the time when we sneaked out from the home?" He rambled it excitedly, snapping his fingers.  
Nathan came back with two new beers and narrowed his eyes while uncapping them.  
"You mean when you sneaked me out?" he smirked and handed the beer over.  
"Yeah, yeah, same story! It was like a bunch of questions-game, come'on! Quiz-type." he snapped again as if to jog Nathan's memory.  
After sitting down and taking a sip, he did turn to Sam with a raised brow.  
"Trivial pursuit?"  
"Yes! Hell yes, that's the one! Do you have that?"  
Nathan grinned at the expression of pure joy his older brother was wearing. He must've not even seen that game in atleast twenty years.  
"We sure as hell do!"  
"Sweet!" Sam held up the beer for a cheer. Nathan happily clinked his bottle to it.  
-  
That night Sam came up a tad bit tipsy from the beers and the heat of the sun.  
For not the first time, he kind of wished him and Rafe lived together, just for the sheer feeling of coming home to the one he wants to see everyday anyway.  
They had talked about it and moving in together was something they agreed should wait. There was no use in rushing. They stayed over often enough these days however, so maybe it was time to talk about it again.

He had kicked off the shoes and went for a glass of water. He thought about sleep first, but it was only about 18pm, and he hadn't talked a lot to Rafe today.

He fished the phone up from his pocket, unlocked to see Rafe's smiling face on the screen. Grinning back at it, he dailed one out of the few numbers he'd learned by heart a while ago now.

Not many singnals went by before the recieving end picked up.  
"This is Adler speaking." The man proffesionally spoke into the call. There was something sounding like traffic in the background, so he hadn't picked up to see his display. He always answered Sam with a 'hi honey' when he saw him calling.  
"Yes, Mr. Adler, there's a Mr. handsome Devil here for you, he wants to know what you're doing the 14'th of february, next week of this year."  
He heard a snickering and the business-tone in his partner's voice completely vanishing.  
"This year, huh? I don't know, that's next week and Mr. Handsome Devil should know, I'm a very busy man. For one, I'm already being courted by Mr. Rediculous Dork, and well.. I like him very much." He teased. Saying that last part with such love in his voice.  
Sam face melted at the sound. He huffed a few laughs.  
"He likes you very much, too."  
They could practically feel one another smiling stupidly into their phones.  
"Where are you by the way, it's very noisy."  
"Well, I just left the office. I went to my car and the damn thing didn't want to start, so I called for a tow and I'm taking the subway becuase I have more patience for random people right now than I have waiting for incompetent idiots."  
Sam laughed loudly.  
"I get that. As long as you're satisfied with your choice."  
"Oh that I am, I decided to visit my rediculous dork, so I damn well should be. Hence the lack of patience to wait around for the tow."  
Sam grinned.  
"You should've told me, I could've come to get you."  
"Sam your licence is not legally re-newd and I'm a known face to the police via business." He said as if it was confusing.  
"Ah, alright fine, fine. I actually had a few beers with Nate anyway so."  
"I suspected you would." He could hear Rafe smile.  
"What does that mean?" Sam pretended to be offended. "That I'm a drunk or just predictable?"  
Rafe grunted a laugh, looking up to see his train coming in.  
"Maybe a little bit of both," He teased again. "Train's here, I'll be there in a little bit, honey, don't fall asleep yet."  
"Alright, See you soon babe."  
That night they managed to make some Valentine's plans to eat dinner, atleast.  
-  
A couple of days passed with nothing exciting happening except for Rafe's car being fixed. Which wasn't even all that exciting as it was very quick and simple.  
Sam planned a few different dinners to cook for Valentine's but decided to go simple with chicken curry and rice. Just to be a classic romantic, he'd gotten chocolate-hearts for dessert.

-

The day of love rolled around and Sam had a very lazy morning, starting with a cup'o'joe and a slow smoke, going on about cleaning up, having a shower and eventually starting off the food-cooking.

He did spend some extra time in the mirror. It felt odd to be so nervous for a date with someone he'd already have plenty of sex with. Everything between tender to nasty sex, at that.

He thought about wearing a button-down but decided it was too formal, so he threw on a beige, long-sleeved shirt with buttons at the top that he didn't close. It was a nice enough shirt, but also very soft and comfy. He felt romantic in it. The color brought out his eyes and hair very nicely as well, which Rafe had pointed out before. Clean dark jeans were always a safe bet, too.

He combed throught his hair, it was soft and smellt nice after the shower. Using proper shampoo and balm was something Rafe had taught him too after he'd brushed through it enough times with his bare hands, eventually he'd told Sam not to take it personally, but his hair usually felt like a haystack.  
Sam had replied "Oh." Then asked what to do about it. He didn't exactly blame him, he hadn't cared much about doing anything with his appeareance since before Panama. He only cut in shorter from time to time for the simply reason that it got in the way otherwise.

A few hours passed, and after a day of wanting time to move faster, he suddenly felt like it was moving very fast all of a sudden. Damn he was gittery.  
He went out to the balcony for a smoke, before the tossed the chicken inside the oven.  
After aimlessly picking at things around the place, grabbing some deoderant becuase he'd forgotten before, pretending to clean up things he'd already placed in their general ordinary place, doing mundane little things, the doorbell rang. He almost stumbled jumping up to it.

He was met at the door by the most handsome face he's ever seen in his life.  
"Hi." Sam said softly with a sly grin.  
"Hey you." Rafe swayed foreward to close the distance between them, letting his hands travel to rest at the back of Sam's neck. Sam sneaked his own around Rafe's waist. They tugged each other in tight, holding the other close. Breathing in one another. Safe and exciting flutters mixed in both their’s chests.  
Rafe wore soft slacks, a white T-shirt with a soft black cardigan. Samuel smiled to himself when he thought of their similar way when reasoning about clothes.

They met halfway in a warm kiss. When they parted, their eyes met in a moment of just gazing. Rafe stroked a thumb across Sam's temple. Sam closed his eyes at the touch and opened them again to find Rafe pushing toward him.  
Sam got the hint and pulled him inside, not breaking their positions, he pushed the door shut behind his boyfriend.

He stopped them in their tracks again, then started placing kisses on his lips, cheeks, temples and eyebrows, to hope back to kissing him on the lips again.  
Rafe made pleased sounds and huffing quiet laughs at the little tickles from the kisses.  
"You're such a romantic guy." He cupped Sam's jaw with both hands, leaned up a gave the taller man an especially lingering french kiss. The apartment was quiet expect for the fan in the kitchen above the stove, the quiet clock on the wall next to them and the noises from the hungry open-mouthed kisses. A final soft smacking noise made it before Sam leaned back to look at Rafe.

"Do you want some music on for dinner?"  
"Oh, romance-machine. Sure." Rafe placed another kiss on the other's lips, giving each arm a stroke on the way down when he moved his hands.  
Sam smirked and raised a brow. Putting on a suave face that said he knew perfectly well he was doing great.  
"Alright, be right back then." He touched his knuckles softly to Rafe's cheek before he stepped away.  
Rafe bit his underlip while standing rooted in place, watching Sam go. Eyes roaming down and up. Lingering further down. 

Mh-mmh.

When the taller man was finally behind a wall out of sight, Rafe kicked off his shoes and reached for his bag, pulling out a bottle of wine.

"The chicken's almost done by the way." Sam called out from the livingroom just before the music eminated through the air.  
Rafe strolled into the kitchen and put the bottle on the counter. Sam walked up behind him, holding his hands behind his own back in a gentleman-like manner. The shorter watched him.  
"Hey cuteness." He said and mirrored Sam's pose. The taller smiled and closed the distanse between them, his arms unable to keep away hovered across to land behind Rafe's neck. It was Rafe's arm's turn to magnetically sneak around Sam's waist.

"Hi babyboy."  
They leaned on their foreheads, listening to sweet melodies and started swaying back and forth in a barely moving dance.  
"It smells fantastic." Rafe whispered after inhaling deeply.  
"So do you." Sam sunk into Rafe's shoulder, sniffing playfully up and down, making Rafe giggle. He tried pulling away in defence but Sam's arms around his neck were warm and inviting. Also hindering him from moving very far.  
"That tickles."  
"Yeah?" Sam sounded inturiged.  
"Yeah." Rafe said accusingly and lifted one hand to cover Sam's mouth.To which Sam replied by kissing it. Rafe's middlefinger pressed at the tip of Sam's nose and the man's teeth shined through in between every digit. He tilted a little to nibble at them.  
"Damn it, that tickles too!" Rafe caught another short fit of giggles.  
"I didn't know you were so ticklish, babe!" Sam said happily, grabbing Rafes hand with his own to place in on his chest. He leaned in to plant kisses on the younger's face again, who closed his eyes, leaning in to every tounch.  
"I'm usually not," His hand slipped further down on Sam's back, dropping to his ass to squeeze lovingly. "I think you're doing something to me today with your extra suave romance."  
Sam wiggled his brows flirtaciously.

The timer went off in a light rapid sound signaling that the chicked should be done.  
Sam jerked his head to the timer, reached for it while staying as close to Rafe as possible. He turned the timer off before turning back to the other man.  
"Food time!" Sam exclaimed happily.  
"I'm excited." Rafe said suggestively, giving his cook a quick kiss before letting him go on about the last details before they could eat. He hadn't had Sam's cooking very often, mostly becuase Sam refused to let him eat it until he had the time to perfect it. Cooking food was something he needed to re-learn properly, which he did happily and eagerly since home-cooked food had been what he'd missed the most.

The black cardigan moved as gracefully as Rafe did. He sat at the table, facing towards Sam and he watched him roam around for some last seasoning and placing the food on plates and such.  
Rafe had tried helping him a few times, but whenever he did, Sam kept kissing him to distract him while he led him to sit down. "You always pay for dinners out, let me do this for you." he always said.  
Rafe had eventually shrugged and let Sam go on with it. He understood how much it meant for him to not only be able to do everything to take care of a home yourself, to feel like an individual again, but also to take care of someone else.

One would think Rafe wouldn't like it, hell, Rafe didn't think he would like it becuase it should remind him of being spoiled and given things he didn't know what he'd done to deserve.  
But this wasn't anything like it. Sam did this for him, for the both of them, out of pure care, Rafe had finally learned. It took him a little while to really grasp what it meant to spoil someone without actually... spoiling them.  
Something about Sam made it clear for him.

And it wasn't like Rafe didn't do things for him, they gave each other so much, it felt natural to let it flow.  
When Rafe grew up, he kept getting things with no restriction or ever having to give anything in return. He'd never realized how good it felt to give someone he cared about anything he wanted. He would buy Samuel a goddamn yacht if he wanted one, which he told him, but Sam had convinced him that would be too much, atleast for people who hadn't been married for like, 30 years already. At the very least.  
"I want a boyfriend. A partner! I want to experience things with my man! Not get stuff from a sugar daddy- Nomatter how hot that sounds!" He told him with a burning passion, pushing it at the last part, and Rafe had laughed as he realized the difference between gifts and the amount of money he happened to have.

He shook his head in surprise when he noticed Sam suddenly in front of his face. He was leaning with hand on his legs, just three inches away, brown eyes shifting between Rafe's multi-colored ones.  
"Where are you, baby?" He was asked softly.  
Rafe gazed with heavy eyes back at him. Eyes full of desire, safety and adoration all at once he peered into Sam's curious look. Fuck, he loved this man so much. His heartrate increased suddenly.  
He took a deep breath.  
"I love you so fucking much, Samuel."  
He exhaled.  
The older man's eyes visibly widened for a second. Jaw dropped slightly in a silent surprise.  
Rafe held his eyes.  
Then Sam's lips moved, like he tried to say something but it looked mostly like a silent 'wow'. Then those brown eyes moved to pink lips and up again, he took a hold of Rafe's face and claimed those lips with his own. The intensity of the kiss made the sitting man automatically stand up to push closer easier. His hands on Sam’s chest let him feel the other heart racing too.

Passion. Relief. Freedom. Also really, fucking scary. 

"I fucking love you, Rafe Adler." Sam breathed when he finally leaned back to look at him again.  
Really fucking scary, for real. And it felt more right than anything ever had.

Something like nervous puffs of laughter forced their way out of Rafe. He had meant to tell Samuel so many times, but it never really made it out until now.

Sam made an expression that looked similar to the amount of nervous Rafe felt, mixed with that cheeky smile. He cleared his throut, never letting go of Rafe's eyes.  
"You... ready to eat?" An eager nod was all Rafe could manage. He felt so much like he was shaking from the core. As if it was freezing in a warm kitchen after a hot day, maybe he wasn't actually shaking that much, atleast not visibly but he could swear he was. Holy shit.

-

Eating proved to be somewhat difficult for the first few minutes. While Rafe wanted to stare at the man in front of him, lit up by soft lamps along with the streetlights outside, carving up food was hard if you weren't looking at it.

They kept looking up and down, as if talking with their eyes. When they were finally not cutting anything, they barely looked at the down at the food anymore. They spoke lightly about nothing in particular. Rafe praised the food, "the best chicken you've made. And you can officially cook rice perfectly." To which Sam blushed and smirked. "Thank you, sweetie." 

The forgotten wine finally got pulled into the spotlight, Rafe took the chanse to hop off to get the wine-glasses, discreetly helping out.  
Sam unscrewed the wine and poured it for them.  
They drank, laughed, talked, discussed the wine, discussed the whole thing about valentine, how the day shouldn't be an excuse to show love, but there was something sweet about it. Like a reminder that romance is alive.

"Have you had many dates on valentine's?" Sam leaned his chin in his palm. Half a glass had already warmed him up rather comfortably.  
"Well," Rafe finished a sip, smacking his lips.  
"I didn't exactly uh," he trew a hand upward. "I didn't exactly make time for any relationships during.. the hunting. And I didn't really think much about any holiday." He shrugged, more or less unmoved by the fact.  
"Surely my image-obsessed parents forced a whole thing to front, with the whole christmas thing and new-years, you know. But uh," He clapped his own knee and looked down.  
"Other than that, between the search and keeping up with the Adler-front, charity balls and whatever, I didn't find interest in anything other than casual and ultimately meaningless sex." he shrugged again, picking up the glass for another sip and wrap-up of the explenation.  
Sam nodded in understanding. He didn't feel bitter about how Rafe and chosen to lead his life before, but his face faultered at the thought of not being able to have this with Rafe sooner. The time they'd lost together.

Rafe caught that expression.  
"What's wrong?"  
Sam explained his train of thoughts. Rafe nodded along, but knew immediatly what perspective Sam would appriciate to hear it from.  
"Then again," He caught Sam's eyes in a sparkling mood. "Who's to say we would've had this, if it had come to us sooner." He tilted his head to the side. Sam mirrored it auomatically, waiting for him to contintue.  
"It's just as possible that we never would've... understood each other as well as we do now. We could've easily fallen apart and be broken up for a long while by now, but this," He motioned between them. 

Sam watched him intently, hanging on to every word.

"This doesn't go away unless we want it to. This... connection. It's from history and understanding."  
Their eyes met, like they were talking on every level possible without touching.  
Rafe breathed deeply again.  
"And so much more."

A moment went by where they said nothing. Did nothing. And they it was like they had the experience of their lives, just looking at one another. 

Eventually, the older man heard the music again. Huh. When had he forgotten there was music on in the livingroom.

He reached over the table, he was immediatly met by a hand from the other. Fingers intertwined gently, warm and familiar.  
Safe.  
A smile sneaked up on Rafe, unable to hold it.  
"What?" Sam scoffed amused.  
"You're so sweet."  
Sam blinked slowly and grinned, shrugged a shoulder not bothering to hide the blush.  
"My charms are natural. The sweetness comes from the sugar you give me."  
Rafe blinked slowly too and giggled silently.  
Both watched the smile on the other's face with such love and admireation.  
"You're my favorite person."  
"And you're mine."  
"I am yours."  
-

Sam had panicked and ran to the toilet as he stood up, not knowing how much he'd have to pee until he did. Damn liquer sneaks up on you.

Rafe went very needingly but reculantly to the toilet after him, he’d preffered to have every second with Sam. Damn alcohol.

He did spend some time checking himself in the mirror however. Not at all to see if he looked good. He knew he looked good and he knew Sam thought so more than anyone, but he kept looking himself in the eyes.  
He'd never seen himself so happy before. 

His eyes sparkled. It was facinating, really.

Sam took the time to pull the boardgame out he'd borrowed from Nathan.  
He cleaned off the table quickly, mostly just putting every item in the wash or the counter to make room for the game.  
He looked at the front cover and smiled fondly. So many memories.  
He remembered the first time he introduced Nathan to the game and he's convinced to this day that the game played a large part in encouraging Nathan to find interest in real research and looking for facts and learn about history.

Footsteps shuffled behind him followed by arms sneaking around him to meet on his tummy.  
"What's that? A Boardgame?" Rafe sounded pleasently curious peeking at it while his boyfriend scrambled around with the little pieces to place them properly.  
"It is! My favorite one! Ever played it?" Sam lifted an arm to allow Rafe foreward in his grip around the taller man. His arm landing on Rafe's shoulders.  
"What’s it called?" Rafe asked picking up the cover, answering his own question.

"Trivial- pursuit? Hm." He tried the title again. "I can't say I have. What is it?"  
Sam lit up a little at the fact. Never thinking he'd ever introduce anyone to this game again. Especially the person he loved like this.

"Well, it is a sort of quiz-game! You have one of these to walk with," He held up a few pieces of the round cake-looking parts.  
"You roll the dice, end up on a small square you'll get to go again if you answer the question right- end up on these squares," He poked at the six main-squares around the circle. "if you answer the question right, the get a piece from these," He then held up the little pieces you're suppose to collect, little cake pieces to put in the piece you walked with. "-of the same color and the one you answered right." He finished satisfactory, watching Rafe to make sure he got it.  
Rafe nodded very visibly along to the discription.

"And if you collect them all first, you win?" He added assumingly.  
Sam pointed to the very middle of the board.  
"Say you collect them all, you have to walk in there and recieve a last question," He pointed to himself. "of my choosing, and you answer right, you win!"  
Rafe smirked at the excited tone in Sam's voice.  
"This sounds fun!" He smiled and pecked Sam on the cheek. "What kind of questions are there?" He made to sit down on his chair again. Sam followed suit to his own chair.  
"Well we have," He pulled up a card. "History! My favorite, obviously," Rafe snorted, rolled his eyes in a 'no doy'-like manner and nodded.  
"-That's the yellow ones. We have entertainment, the pink ones! Nature and science, the green ones! Sports and hobbies, orange ones! Culture and literature as the brown ones, aaand Geography! Blue ones! Six of them!" He announced them all happy as a show-host.  
Rafe nodded again in approvement.  
"Well, let's go then!" He held out his hands to the challange.  
"Cool!" Sam's chest fluttered inside. He knew Rafe would like this.

"What color do you want to play with?"  
Rafe leaned his jaw on his hand, eyes roaming through the six colors. He looked up and Sam who was watching him expectadly.  
Smirking he replied. "Brown."  
Sam frowed in a looped smirk. "Huh. Not many people chooses brown as the obvious go-to." Sam squinted at Rafe suspiciously but handed the piece over nonetheless.  
The younger man simply shrugged and took it.  
"Not everyone gets to gaze into your eyes, adapting brown as their favorite color."  
Sam looked up at him as if he'd just told the worst pun-joke in the world and Sam thought it was fucking hilarious. He scoffed tightly, feeling flattared and trying to keep cool.  
"Then what the hell am I suppose to do, huh? Play with all the pieces?" He asked leaning toward the other man, reffering to Rafes multi-colored soul-windows.  
Rafe snickered at him and decided to help out.  
"Well honey, I have a lot of hazel in there, to which, after brown," He held up his own piece. "yellow would be the most similar, which coincidentally is the color of your favorite category, so..." Rafe picked up the Yellow piece and held it to Sam in between his index and middlefinger, pointedly.  
Taking the sun-shiny-yellow piece from his partner, he grabbed the whole hand to pull it along and kissed it before resuming to picking up two of each small cake-piece for them to collect.  
Rafe touched the spot on his hand that'd been kissed with his other fingers while he watched Sam putting out the pieces and deck of cards in two piles for each of them.  
"So!," Sam looked around. He spotted the dice and sweeped it up.  
"Would my lovely Sir like to do the honor?" his hand swung around as if trying to tempt Rafe, who scoffed.  
"Aren't we suppose to toss it once each and the highest number starts, or something?"  
Sam made an 'I'm impressed' face, raising both brows.  
"That rule has not escaped you, huh? but nah, here," He streched his hand flat with the dice free in it.  
"I wanna to be a gentleman here." He tried pretending to sound embarrassed. Like a blushing boy in love.  
"How could I say no to that face?" Rafe gave in after trying not to smile like an idiot at the dork.  
Rafe shook the dice in his hand. Sam looked satisfied, reaching for the wine bottle and re-filled their beverages.  
Rafe tossed the dice.

"Wait, does it matter which way I go?"  
"Nah!"  
"Alrighty then." Rafe chose a way to go and ended up on a blue square.  
"Ooh," Sam sing-songed has he closed up the wine again, he watched Rafe hover away with the brown piece three steps over to the first blue square. "Geogrophy!"  
"Yes dear, very hot topic. A wild start. And you're suppose to read it to me, right?" He gestured to the deck of cards on Sam's side of the table.  
"Indeed!" He supported the assumption, put the bottle down and picked up the first card in the pile.  
"Oh yeah," He stopped himself. Switching and turned the card back and forth "and the backside has the answers, so" he shrugged, knowing that Rafe got it to shield the back while reading.  
He scoffed a little when reading the blue question.  
Rafe gave him a look. "What?" His voice raised in the curiosity. "Come'on, Lay it on me."  
"What is the color on Taj Mahal?" Sam shrugged again as if the question was completely uneccessary to even ask before Rafe would be able to answer.  
"White as snow, baby." Rafe answered, already going for a victory sip.  
"Yup!" Sam gestured for him to roll the dice again and placed the used card at the bottom of the pile.  
Rafe grabbed it again and shook it a little.  
Sam wiggled his eyebrows at the motion. "Shake it, baby."  
Rafe gave him a clear 'what's up' nod, kissing the air in his direction.  
The smirk on Sam reached his eyes enough to close them a second.  
Rafe laughed in return, letting the dice go. 

He counted the number he got, the squares toward each way both led him to the result of ending up on a green one. "Nature and science, well shit." Rafe dragged a little at the word 'shit'.

"Oh are you worried now, sweetie?" Brown eyes sparkled and teased.  
Rafe snorted in an exaggerated attitude.  
"Nah! No! Not at all, I know all about- Uh," He waved a few times. "Like, plats."  
He frowned at his own words.

"What color is the blood of an octopus?" Sam pitched a little, amused.  
"How the hell- what kind of question is that, an octopus has different colored blood? And what is this night's facination about me and colors?"  
Sam chuckled heartedly. "It's your eyes, babe! Just guess something if you don't know." He suggessted, taking another sip of wine.  
Rafe looked up to the cieling as if the heavens had the answear.  
"Uuuuh, green?" He shook his head in defeat.  
Having already looked at the answer, Sam put the card away.  
"It is actually blue," He said as a fun-fact of the day.  
"Same as human blood when it hasn't come in much contact with oxygen. Or well, it's mostly purple actually." He continued.  
Rafe looked at him.  
"Really?" He was geniunly curious.  
Sam nodded once in confirmation. "Yeah!"  
Rafe watched Sam pick up the dice.  
"Like my own personal doctor." Rafe flirted from behind the glass of wine he brought up to drink from.  
Sam actually turned a little embarrassed now.  
"Nah, nah nah," He shook his head. "I just know, a few things- don't rely on me before calling someone who knows real things."  
His boyfriend chuckled at him before getting up to reach over the table, grabbing his jaw to hold steady when he planted a wet, a tad bit tipsy-kiss on him. 

He tasted of wine. A bit of curry still, and that sweet Sam-taste.  
He sat down again, letting the man get on with it.  
Sam raised one brow at him gave him an open-mouthed looped smile before shaking the dice for the first time that night.  
Rafe sipped the wine again, satisfied with Sam's reaction. Sam bit his lowerlip before licking them, lingering taste of Rafe.  
"Yum." he rumbled from deep in his chest. Rafe chuckled loudly, looking away.  
The long-haired one of them finally decided to let go of the dice.

"I always wonder why you shake it like that?"Rafe asked out of nowhere following it in the roll. "It doesn't exactly give you any more or less percentage chance to get what you want."  
Sam stepped his piece to it's next destination, making a turtle face.  
"You know I never thought of that I guess it's one of those things you've seen people do and it attaches to your behaviour."  
Rafe nodded along in agreement, picking up a card. "Pink right?" Sam grunted in confirmation.

"Who lended their voice to play Mickey Mouse in the very first Mickey Mouse movie?"  
The older man narrowed his eyes and took the wine glass to hold in thought. He looked rediculously fancy and philosophic. Rafe shook once in a silent laugh at the sight.  
"Well, I guess it would make sense that Walt Disney did." He sipped.  
The yougner flipped the card to check.  
"Is that your final answer, Samuel?"  
"Sure, I can't imagiene who else."  
"Well then, buckle up, Samuel Drake! You're going to Disney land!" He announced in an exaggerated glee.  
Sam all but giggled at him.  
"I'll buy you Mickey-ears."  
Rafe frowned a second.  
"Bitch, I'm coming with you, what are you talking about." He said seriously, smiling when it made Sam giggle again.

 

They went slowly through the questions. Time had at some point lost it's meaning to the very core. Nothing and noone really existed but their tipsy selves and the game.  
The score was very even, but none of them really noticed. The game was never the point with this game.  
"What actor drove himself to death in his car, 30'th September, 1955?" Sam slurred a little over the words now.  
Rafe sat crossed-legs leaned back with one hand at the table. He closed his eyes thinking, hen he listed a hand and snapped a few times as if trying to summon the answer.  
"That uh- The dude. Uhm. The greaser dude.." He stopped snapping and frowned. "You know, what's that song from Lana Del Rey..." He looked at Sam confused.  
Sam watched him with a blank expression, then quickly shrugged when he got the attention.  
"Hey don't look at me, I barely even know who she is?" He scoffed.  
"James Dean!" Rafe yelled suddenly, snapping at Sam pointedly, who nodded in obvious recognition of the name. The younger continued then. "My mom liked him a lot! But actors where 'below our family's interest' so noone knew about it." He rolled his eyes and threw a hand up. The wine had really softened up his movements a lot.  
Sam stared in awe at his boyfriend. He never mentioned his mom. Even if he sensed that pushing on to get to know more might work, a little at a time would do just fine.  
So he simply gave him a pointed look. "Except for her perceptive, clever son." Rafe scoffed at that. "Exactly! Not like she was very secretive but, people see and hear what they want to." He said in a light matter-of-fact tone.  
Sam concurred before moving on with the game.

Another few questions, bathroom break and another re-fill of wine later, Sam realized he hadn't had a smoke since before Rafe arrived. That's how distraced he got from the other man in front of him, and once again he looked at him in pure awe.  
"What-is-thee-" Rafe pulled the words. "Capital of Australia?!" He said as a challange.  
"Canberra." Sam said plainly, expression unchanged still gazing at Rafe.  
Rafe caught his stare. His lips pulled when he realized his man was looking at him like that.  
"Yeah, yeah, you educated criminal." He replied fondly. "Ever been?"  
Sam leaned with arms on the table, each hand to the other elbow. "Well no, never had a reason or job to go to."  
"It's nice. We should go sometime." He said it carefully, like the suggestion might be too foreward. The suggestion seemed a lot more realistic and serious than Disney land, even if that was tempting too. This sounded like a sincere planned vacation. As a couple. It made his stomach flutter for some reason.

Looking up he relaxed when Sam grinned at him. "I'd like that very much."

Another few minutes into the game, the wine was running out and their heads did something of the similar, but more like running wild.  
Sam practically yelled the next question. "What sailors-condition was the result after the lack of vitamine C?! Ah damn, I know this one!"  
Rafe frowned deeper than ever. "Wh-how-why-who would know this, why do you know this? I have no fucking clue."  
"I think you do know this though," He read at the back just to make sure. "When you hear it, you'll recognize it anyway."

Rafe smacked his lips and clicked his tounge. "I don't know, you'd think the lack of Vitamine C was the last thing a sailor had."  
Sam dropped his hand heavily with the card on the table. His jaw dropped staring at the man who looked at him smugly.  
A beat went by in total silence, while Sam pulled the biggest, dumbest smile he'd ever pulled.  
"Did you just-?"  
"You damn right I fucking just." Rafe took a seductive sip of the last wine he possessed.  
The larger man let himself shake in silent laughter. Almost sinking under the table, Rafe managed to giggle staying upright, he reached for the card to read the answer himself.  
"Oh Scurvy! Damnit! Ofcourse I knew that- Fuck!" He tossed the card, laughing in defeat.  
Pulling himself up, the other man rubbed his face before settling in his seat properly again.  
"Goddamn." He breathed. Then he reached for a card at the top of his pile, at this point abandoning the game itself to just find interesting questions.  
"Hey, you know music- Get this one, What year was the LP introduced in the US?"  
"Ninteenforty-" Rafe stopped.  
"- Eight?" His voice pitched.  
"Yeah, baby!" Sam tossed the card wherever and went for another.  
"How many horns does the statue of libery have on her crown?"  
Rafe scoffed "Who knows, is it like.. six, or nine?"  
Sam checked the back. "It is seven, one for each day of the week!" He sounded pleased at that for some reason.

Deciding that his eyes were too heavy, mind too blurry and body too starved for cuddles, Rafe stood up- very slwoly, mind you- and stepped over to the older man. He grabbed the card and swiftly tossed it to the side. Sam made no indication of moving when Rafe lifted one leg to swing over Sam's thighs, settling comfortably in his lap facing him.  
Two hands automatically lifted to hold the smaller man by his waist, petting up and down slowly to his hips.  
"Why hello, baby."  
Rafe's own hands placed behind the other's neck. "Hi." He cooed. He nuzzled closer, touching with their noses and faces together lovingly.  
Their lips dabbed very gently, brushing in a greeting of their own before pressing together, one kiss turning into another, and another. Lingering kisses turned into tounges meeting, dancing, exploring and causing little noises to escape.  
Suddenly something hit Sam.  
"Hey.." He spoke up sounding surprised.  
"What?" Rafe looked next to worried.  
"We didn't eat any chocolate today." Sam whispered faking a very upset tone before letting out a laugh he couldn't hold in.  
Rafe chuckled and melted into Sam's lips again. Heartbeats racing again.

"I love you."  
"I love you too."


End file.
